Blonde Over Blue
by PearlyJammer
Summary: Hyde's family comes to visit..... Crossover with "Malcolm in the Middle"
1. Default Chapter

Title: Blonde Over Blue 

A Joint fic by Bunny,  Stephanie, Mary, Randa and Autumn

Note: Crossover with "Malcolm in the Middle".   
  


Part One by Bunny: Mercarmaid@aol.com  
  
Hyde suppressed the urge to reach out and grab his youngest cousin Dewey's   
hand as he fiddled with the radio on the El Camino. His older brother Francis   
had insisted he sit up front since Malcolm and Reece had been kind of out of   
sorts and pestering him...   
  
"Knock it off, twerps!" Francis said, turning to the backseat as Reece and   
Malcolm were in the middle of a shoving match.   
  
"He started it!" they both yelled automatically.   
  
"Well... cut it out, it's getting old... I hadda put up with it all the way   
up..." Francis ordered, rolling his eyes slightly.   
  
Finally, Hyde pulled up to the Foreman driveway and stopped the car.   
  
"Okay, we're here." he said relievedly, stepping out of the car and walking   
towards the basement.   
  
"Why, hello, Steven..." Kitty smiled from the washing machine. "And, who are   
your little friends?"   
  
"Oh, uh, these are my cousins; Francis, Reece, Malcolm and Dewey." Hyde   
explained, going and sitting in his place.   
  
"Very nice to meet you..." Kitty smiled, giving a little wave as she walked   
back up the stairs.   
  
"Hel-lo... and, who might you be?" Francis asked, smiling his most charming   
smile at Jackie.   
  
"Jackie..." she smiled back, feeling slightly entranced. There was something   
about this guy...   
  
Dewey hopped into her lap immediately.   
  
"You're pretty..." he smiled up at her.   
  
"Awww, isn't he a sweetie?" she smiled down at him.   
  
Hyde rolled his eyes; it hadn't been 15 seconds since they'd met her and   
already two of his cousins were interested in her... What? Did she have some   
kind of chemical that made the men in his family's blood run hot? Well, he   
was certainly imune... Yeah, and he also owned some oceanfront property in   
Arizona...   
  
~*~   
  
About a half-hour later, introductions had been doled out, and they had all   
seemed to find their little niches into the group.   
  
Francis and Jackie were talking about... something or other, and Dewey was   
snuggled up in her lap. Hyde had to fight to keep the scowl off his face; but   
it didn't do him much use...   
  
Eric was also trying to hide his annoyance, as Malcolm and Donna were having   
a conversation about... some kind of smart-people thing he did was unable to   
follow...   
  
Fez looked hopeful as Reece and Caroline seemed to be talking animatedly   
about melting stuff; maybe he had found a way to distract her at least...   
  
"Can you believe this?" Kelso whispered to Fez, pouting. "Two days we've been   
broken up and she's talkin' to other guys..."   
  
Fez rolled his eyes, unable to even come up with a fitting comment for that   
one.   
  
"So... movies tonight?" Hyde heard Francis asking her.   
  
"Well---"   
  
"She can't."   
  
"Why not?" Francis frowned slightly.   
  
"Ahhh..." Hyde flushed as Jackie looked at him with a slightly raised brow...


	2. Chapter 2

Part Two by Stephanie: stefwithaf@hotmail.com

"So... movies tonight?" Hyde heard Francis asking her.  
  
"Well---"  
  
"She can't."  
  
"Why not?" Francis frowned slightly.  
  
"Ahhh..." Hyde flushed as Jackie looked at him with a slightly   
raised brow...  
  
"Well, Jackie, I thought, we were going to go to the movies tonight?"   
Hyde said, praying that he didn't look too stupid.  
  
Francis rolled his eyes.  
  
Jackie smiles.  
  
"Oh okay, Steven, pick me up at 7?" Jackie asked.  
  
"Yup," said Hyde.  
  
"Cool," Jackie said with a smile. "I'll be right back, going to grab   
a soda."  
  
Jackie went upstairs.  
  
Francis stared at Hyde.  
  
"Francis, what's your problem?" asked Hyde.  
  
"Steven, don't give me that crap. You know you didn't have a date   
with Jackie," said Francis.  
  
"Yes, I did," said Hyde.  
  
Francis gave Hyde the "yeah right" look.  
  
"Shut up! We're going on a date, and that's that!" shouted Hyde.  
  
Francis rolled his eyes once again, and sat down on milk crate.  
  
Jackie walked back down the stairs with a six pack of soda.  
  
"One time, when Dewey was bugging me with the those bubble wraps...I   
waited until he went to the bathroom and I stole it, and took it and   
melted it. I let fused it to one of Malcolm's old action figures..."  
  
Malcolm gave Reese a weird look.  
  
Jackie grabbed herself a chair and sat next to Hyde.  
  
"So, Steven, what are we watching tonight?" she asked sweetly.


	3. Chapter 3

Part Three by Mary: mscant56428@aol.com

"Superman," Hyde replied

"Superman?" squealed Dewey, his eyes wide with excitement.   
"No," Hyde said pointedly to him.   
"But...," Dewey attempted.   
"No," Hyde insisted.   
Dewey then started to pout and Hyde figured all was lost when he saw Jackie's   
face.   
"Steven!" Jackie scolded him. "I'm sure he wouldn't be any bother."   
"If he gets to go so do I," Reece added.   
"I wouldn't mind going," Malcolm interjected, looking up from his   
conversation with Donna for the first time.   
"Gee Hyde," Francis smirked, adding emphasis to the nickname, "looks like   
this is going to be a family outing."   
"Hell no!" Hyde growled. "Did you miss the word DATE. Date is two people.   
Those two people would be me and Jackie."   
"Oh Steven," gushed Jackie. "You really do care!"   
Hyde got that deer-in-headlights look as he realized what he just said.   
"Hyde is really stuck on Jackie," Fez said with a knowing nod. "I knew it!"   
"There is NO WAY she would pick him over me," Kelso insisted, living in his   
own little world of denial.   
"Since you're going out with Hyde tonight how about lunch tomorrow Jackie?"   
Francis asked, unwilling to give up without a fight.   
"Sure," Jackie accepted with a smile.   
"Can I speak to you, Cuz?" Hyde all but growled as he pulled Francis out of   
the basement.   
"What are you on?" Hyde accused Francis.   
"Why?" Francis taunted. "Want some?"   
"Why you little...."   
  
Next?


	4. Chapter 4

Part Four by Randa: nighthawk2775@aol.com

During Francis and Hyde's little confrontation, Jackie had crept out to sit   
on the Foreman's porch. Hyde's coulsins were... well, they were freaky.   
Malcolm was too smart for his own good, and she shuddered to think of Reese's   
knowledge of all things melting. Dewey was just adorable, though. And what   
an ego booster! He had told her she was pretty about ten times straight in   
the past hour. Obviously, he hadn't gotten it from his cousin.   
  
Hyde was acting very strange. She would almost swear that he was jealous!   
But that didn't make sense. Hyde never got jealous. She had tried to make   
him that way numerous times, but it never seemed to work. He just looked at   
her with his "I am so incredibly disgusted by your patheticness" look. She   
really hated that look.   
  
Jackie's thoughts were cut off by Francis slamming the door. She turned   
around to face him. In this light he looked just like Hyde, but without the   
'fro and sideburns.   
  
"Hey there, beautiful," he said, flashing her that dreamy smile and sitting   
down beside her.   
  
She grinned. He wanted to flirt, huh? Well, flirting was her specialty.   
"Hey yourself," she murmered, batting her eyelashes enticingly.   
  
Francis looked away. "So... you and Hyde, huh?"   
  
Jackie's mouth dropped wide open. My God, he was just like Steven! Hyde had   
asked her that exact same thing in that exact same tone about Chip.   
  
Francis eyed her. She really was a beautiful girl, with all that hair and   
those great eyes. Not to mention her body. Her body was good, too. Nice   
and tiny, curved in all the right places. She was just about perfect. Too   
bad Hyde saw her first. Of course, he was too dumb to claim her. But, then,   
maybe he had? It wasn't like Francis was a part of his cousin's circle. He   
had no way of knowing for sure if they were officially together. Well, if   
they weren't, Francis wasn't about to give her up without a fight. "Are you   
two a couple?" Please God no.   
  
She pouted. "No. Well... no."   
  
Yes! "That's too bad."   
  
"Yeah, I know," she sighed.   
  
It was at this time that Francis had one of the most devious, yet incredibly   
brilliant ideas of his life. What the Hell? he reasoned. All's fair in   
love and war, after all. "I think it's totally wrong the way he is getting   
you're hopes up."   
  
Jackie looked up, squinching her eyebrows together in confusion. "What do   
you mean?"   
  
"Well... me and Hyde have got this thing. I guess you'd call it   
competition. Whenever one of us sees that the other is interested in a girl,   
we try to steal her."   
  
Jackie looked outraged. "So he's just trying to annoy you by asking me out?   
Is that what your saying?"   
  
Francis nodded, silently congratulating himself on a lie well told. "Yup.   
Oh, he doesn't mean anything by it. He's just fooling around. He'd do the   
same thing with any other girl."   
  
"Ooohhh!" Jackie stood and started to pace. "I can't believe he'd do that."   
  
"Believe it," Francis said. He caught her hand and pulled her back down.   
Jackie made a little sniffing noise. At first he ignored it, thinking maybe   
she just had a runny nose or something. Then the noise came again. And   
again. He finally looked down at her, and immediately froze with horror.   
She was crying! He couldn't stand it when girls cried. He felt horrible.   
He just wanted to have a chance at dating her, and look what he'd done!   
  
"Jackie, I'm sorry. I was just jok--" Jackie snuggled up next to him and   
buried her face against his chest, sobbing softly and effectively cutting off   
his train-of-thought.   
  
Francis automatically put his arms around her. He didn't want to tell her   
the truth. She'd hate him. Besides, Hyde wasn't good enough for her. She   
deserved someone who cared about her. Someone like... him! That's right,   
he decided. He wasn't gonna tell her. Not right away, anyway. He had an   
entire week here, and he was going to spend every second of it making Jackie   
like him. That's right, Cuz, he thought. The war is on.   
  
May the best man win.   
  
  



	5. Chapter 5

PART FIVE By Bunny

Hyde walked up and saw Jackie snuggled up to Francis, his arms wrapped around   
her. His fists clenched in near-rage, but pride got the best of him and he   
just stomped into his El Camino and sped off.   
  
Jackie finally looked up, wiping her cheeks off.   
  
"I'm sorry about that..."   
  
"You're sorry?" he breathed. "You, are a rat..." he thought to himself.   
  
"I need to go home now... I'll see you tomorrow for lunch..." she said,   
getting up weakly and giving a little wave as she walked towards her car.   
  
~*~   
  
"What time are we leaving to see Superman???" Dewey bounced from the couch,   
all hyper.   
  
"We're not; the date is cancelled." Hyde said flatly.   
  
"No fair!" Dewey pouted.   
  
But, Malcolm's ears pricked up at Hyde's tone.   
  
"What happened?"   
  
"What happened? Hmmm... let's see... I don't have a clue, but why don't you   
ask your big brother?" he growled, staring daggers at Francis as he stomped   
to his room and slammed the door so loudly the apartment shook.   
  
"What happened?" Dewey demanded.   
  
Francis shifted uncomfortably. He already felt kinda guilty about this; the   
last thing he needed was MORE guilt from the knowledge he'd disappointed his   
baby brother...   
  
"I... I need a smokes..." he muttered, slipping out quickly to the   
fire-escape, closing the window behind him.   
  
Dewey sat on the couch, his lower-lip sticking out, and Malcolm and Reece   
knew a tantrum was likely forthcoming, and sighed, figuring they should do   
something about it.   
  
"Okay, Dew, we can do something tonight anyways..." Malcolm tried.   
  
"Wanted to see Superman..." he sniffled.   
  
"Ahhh... we'll take you?" Reece tried.   
  
"You don't have enough money..." Dewey reminded.   
  
"Who was gonna pay? I meant sneak us i---"   
  
"Oh, GREAT influence, Reece!" Malcolm said with an exasperated sigh.   
  
"Can we ask Jackie? She might still wanna take us..."   
  
"I don't know Dewey..." Malcolm hedged. "I mean... she's mad at Steven, she   
might be mad at Francis, too..."   
  
"She's not mad at US..." Dewey pointed out patiently.   
  
"He's right; and she DID have plans with US, not just Steven." Reece added.   
"I say we go."   
  
"Wow, I actually can't argue with this... let's go." Malcolm said, tossing   
Dewey a coat on their way out the door...   
  
~*~   
  
Jackie opened the door and looked at Reece, Malcolm and Dewey in surprise.   
  
"We're ready to go." Dewey grinned, reaching out his arms to be hefted up.   
  
Jackie looked confused but lifted him to hip anyways. "Go where?"   
  
"Superman..."   
  
"Yeah, you were gonna go with us, too..."   
  
"If you don't want to, we understand..." Malcolm muttered, slightly   
embarrassed.   
  
"Awww, no..." she smiled softly. "I'll just go get my car-keys..."   
  
~*~   
  
Francis stubbed out his cigarette and re-entered the apartment to see Hyde on   
the couch, lazily drinking a bottled-beer.   
  
"Wow, quiet..." he observed.   
  
Hyde just leveled him with a good glare as if to say, "You DARE to speak?"   
  
Finally, Francis got to taking a good look around and realized WHY it was so   
quiet.   
  
"Hey...where are my little brothers?"


	6. Chapter 6

Part Six by Mary

"You LOST your brothers?" Lois's voice boomed from the doorway.   
"They were here a while ago," Francis insisted.   
"Young man," Lois all but growled as she stalked into the room, "this had   
better be a very bad joke!"   
"I'm...they...he," Francis finally sputtered pointing at Hyde.   
"Don't look at me," Hyde shrugged. "They were my problem when we were at   
Foreman's. They became your problem when we got back here."   
"SO what you two are saying is that Reese, Malcolm and Dewey are out their   
somewhere in a strange city?" Lois asked.   
"I guess," Francis responded.   
"I know where they are," Hyde said after a moment of thought.   
"Care to share with the class?" demanded Lois.   
"They were miffed that they couldn't go see Superman," Hyde explained. "We   
had made plans then I bailed and Francis bailed."   
"They went alone?" Lois asked.   
"I doubt it," Hyde continued. "Jackie was supposed to go to. I bet they   
went with her."   
"Who's Jackie?" Lois asked.   
"Francis' new girlfriend," Hyde sneered.   
"She's not..." Francis began.   
"I don't care," Lois cut him off. "Where would they have gone to see it?   
Take me there now!"   
"Yes Mam," Hyde all but saluted.   
"Don't think I won't punish you like I am going to punish them," Lois   
threatened.   
"Sorry," Hyde mumbled and grabbed his keys.   
"Let's go," Francis said.   
"No way, bucko," Lois replied. "You are under house arrest till this whole   
thing gets straightened out. Maybe even longer."   
"But I have a date..." Francis tried to explain.   
"Since it seems I will be seeing Jackie," Lois relied, "I'll cancel for you."   
Hyde just smirked at Francis as he left the apartment, Lois close behind.   
**********   
Lois, with Hyde close behind, through the doors to the theater open and   
stepped in. She looked around the darkness and couldn't see them.   
"Reese! Malcolm! Dewey! Where the hell are you!"


	7. Chapter 7

Part Seven by Bunny

Lois, with Hyde close behind, through the doors to the theater open and   
stepped in. She looked around the darkness and couldn't see them.   
"Reese! Malcolm! Dewey! Where the hell are you!"   
  
Francis sat on the couch between Hal & Bud, biting his thumbnail nervously.   
He wasn't so much worried about when Lois came back; getting more yelling was   
a given.   
  
But, what if Hyde was wrong? Or, what if they never even FOUND Jackie's   
house? They didn't know their way around; they could be out there somewhere,   
alone... or worse, NOT alone...   
  
He shuddered visibly as he tried to brush the disturbing thoughts from his   
mind.   
  
"Calm down, Francis; Mom'll calm down once she gets the boys home..."   
  
"Dad, you don't understand... I... I just left 'em for like a minute... I   
just went outside... RIGHT THERE!" he said, pointing to the window. "Just out   
on the fire-escape, and I come back they're gone..." he groaned, dropping his   
head into his hands.   
  
"I wouldn't worry too much; if I know that sister of mine she's likely found   
'em by now and's readin' 'em the riot act as we speak..." Bud nodded.   
  
Francis raised a brow at him, almost annoyed by his unconcern, but just let   
his head drop into his hands, deciding instead not to say a word...   
  
~*~   
  
Reece, Malcolm and Dewey shrank down in their seats.   
  
"What's going on? Who is that yelling for you?" Jackie asked. "Is it your   
Mom?"   
  
They nodded mutely.   
  
"Why? Didn't she know you were coming?" Jackie hissed, her hands on her hips.   
  
"We... might've forgotten to leave a note?" Reece admitted nervously.   
  
Jackie's eyes snapped open and she pursed her lips in annoyance.   
  
"What if she hadn't figured out you were here? If she had called the cops, I   
could have been arrested for kidnapping or something!"   
  
"We're sorry?" Malcolm tried.   
  
"UP. NOW." she said, ushering them towards the back of the theatre, where she   
saw Hyde and Lois. She motioned for them to all go out of the theatre and to   
the parking-lot.   
  
"You're Jackie?"   
  
"Yeah, and before you say anything, I did NOT know they didn't leave a note   
until you got here. In fact, I assumed they had someone drop them off; if I   
thought for a second they were wandering out alone and you guys didn't know   
where they were I would have called you."   
  
"I believe you." Lois said, blinking slightly.   
  
"Thanks." she nodded.   
  
~*~   
  
Lois and Hyde led the boys back into the apartment, where Francis, Hal and   
Bud were waiting for them.   
  
"They were at the move? They're okay?" Francis hopped up quickly.   
  
"They're FINE." Hyde snapped, annoyed. "Jackie is perfectly capable of taking   
care of them." he said in an offended tone.   
  
"And, what if they hadn't MADE it to Jackie's?! What if something had   
happened?! What were you THINKING?!" he demanded, whirling towards his   
younger brothers. "Would it have been SO much trouble to stick your heads out   
the damned window and ASK, or even LET ME KNOW?!"   
  
The boys cringed, but Lois looked at her firstborn, clearly impressed.   
  
"Geez, Francis... you sound like MOM..."


	8. Chapter 8

Part Eight by Randa

Francis just glared at them all and stomped out of the room. _'Just like Mom'   
_he thought. Yeah, right. He was NOTHING like his Mom. Nothing! He turned   
around as a thought hit him. "You boys don't forget to clean up your mess!   
If you don't, Bud'll never invite you back."   
  
Malcolm and Reese stuck their tongues out at him, while Lois just raised a   
brow. Dewey was completely oblivious; He was trying to fashion a Batman   
cape out of Hyde's leather jacket. As he slung the garment around, a silver   
lighter fell out and hit the ground with a light clinking noise. Dewey got a   
positively evil look on his face and surreptiously slipped the lighter into   
his pocket.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  
Francis walked into the bedroom he was sharing with Hyde. To his dismay, he   
saw his cousin lying on the bed looking at an old yearbook. He and Hyde were   
trying their best to ignore one another; Whenever Francis walked into a   
room, Hyde walked out. The reverse was usually true, but Francis just really   
wasn't in the mood right now. He walked further into the room, slamming the   
door behind him.   
  
Hyde jumped and stuffed the yearbook under his pillow. "What the Hell is   
your problem, man? You don't just sneak up on people like that!"   
  
Francis rolled his eyes. "Whatever. We need to talk, Hyde."   
  
It was now Hyde's turn to roll his eyes. "What about?"   
  
"I think you know what about."   
  
"Maybe you should enlighten me?" Hyde muttered, shifting on the bed until he   
was eye to eye with Francis.   
  
"Jackie!"   
  
Hyde stiffened. "What about her?"   
  
Francis punched him on the shoulder. "What do you think?"   
  
"I *think* that you should stay away from her," Hyde all but growled. His   
eyes had gotten very cold looking and he had to literally hold himself back   
from giving his cousin a big old bruise on his pretty-boy face.   
  
"And why is that, 'Cuz? Could it be because your just as crazy about her as   
I am?" Francis taunted.   
  
Hyde lunged for Francis, knocking him to the floor. He grabbed his cousin up   
by his jacket lapels and shoved him against the wall. He was just about to   
land his first punch, when he stopped. He was breathing hard and holding   
onto his self-control by one sigle thread. "You mind your own freakin'   
business, Francis!" he growled, turning away and stalking out of the room.   
"And stay the Hell away from her!"   
  
The last word was emphasized with the slamming of the door. The force of the   
slam was enough to rattle the walls and knoock the yearbook to the floor.   
  
Francis just stood there a moment, counting his blessings. Thank God Hyde   
hadn't snapped on him; The last guy who got into a serious fight with his   
cousin was landed in the hospital for three nights. The boy still walked   
with a limp. Not that he hadn't deserved it; Hyde had only fought him to   
defend Francis. The guy was a real jerk, and he was always pounding on him.   
Until Hyde found out, anyway. Now, he turned pale whenever Francis was   
within ten feet of him and ran away, muttering about crazy trouble-makers and   
their scary relatives.   
  
Thinking about that almost made Francis feel guilty about his feelings for a   
girl Hyde obviiously cared about. Almost.   
  
All of a sudden, his eyes were drawn to the yearbook laying on the floor. He   
walked over to it, planning on placing it back on the bed. He was distracted   
by the little note written on one of the autograph pages. It was the only   
message in the book, and it was from Jackie. 

  
_Steven,   
I missed seeing you at the Pep Rally Today.   
I really wish that you had come. I   
like knowing that you are out there,   
watching me. I know that it really isn't your   
thing, but it means a lot to me. See   
you next time? Have a great year!   
Love,   
Jackie Burkhardt__   
  
___

_  
_Francis winced. How could his cousin be such a moron? Hyde could have   
Jackie if he wanted, which he obviously did, but he didn't get her. What was   
the deal? He flipped a few more pages. He noticed that the book was bent at   
the spine. Francis wrinkled his forehead in concentration. Hyde wasn't   
exactly the type of guy to look at yearbooks. So why was this one so worn?   
  
There was a knock at the door. Startled, Francis dropped the book to the   
floor. Bud Hyde poked his head through the door.   
  
"Hey there, Francis. Have you seen Steve?"   
  
"uhh... He just slammed out about five minutes ago."   
  
Bud thanked him and left the room, shutting the door firmly behind him.   
  
Francis looked down at the yearbook, and then did a double-take. The   
book had fell open to a whole page devoted to Jackie; There were pictures of   
her in her cheerleading uniform and regular dress, doing all of the things   
that made her the Most Popular Junior, according to the page header. The   
page was slightly creased, as if it had been handled a lot. Remembering an   
episode of Matlock, Francis picked the book up and dropped it on the bed. He   
did this several times, and each time it fell open to the Jackie page.   
Apparently Hyde looked at this a lot.   
  
Francis closed the book gently, letting out a sigh. He walked over to the   
bookshelf and slid it into place and then went back over and flopped onto the   
bed. Wincing at the sharp pain in his head, he reached beneath the pillows.   
He pulled out one of those black and white composition books. Francis felt a   
slight pang of conscience as he started to look through the book, but it was   
overrun by curiousity. It looked like there was a lot he didn't know about   
his cousin. Such as the fact that he was a pretty decent poet. There were   
at least seventy poems in the book and, looking them over, he began to get an   
idea of his cousin's reasoning in not claiming Jackie. 

**False Idol   
**  
_She follows me around   
like as dog on a chain   
Every single moment   
increases my shame   
She hangs onto my every word   
She worships me as a god   
Puts me up on a pedestal   
Thinks I can do no wrong   
What would she do   
if she knew the truth? _

  
There were a million others just like this one. All of them acknowledged   
Jackie's feelings, but enfored the idea that she didn't know who or what he   
really was.   
  
Francis closed the book softly and replaced it beneath the pillow. He had a   
lot of thinking to do.   
  
  
_NOTE: The poem is mine. I realize that it sucks and does not sound at all   
like something Hyde would write, but I though it up in under thirty seconds.   
Sorry... I wasn't much up to poetry tonight_ . _ Oh, and I'm sorry this took so   
long. It got accidently deleted once, so I tried to make it up by making it   
extra long. So... Whose next?_


	9. Chapter 9

Part Nine by Autumn: dyslexic_crisco_penguin_fiend@hotmail.com

Francis sat on Hyde's bed and contemplated his cousin. It   
was obvious to him that Hyde liked Jackie, and had for some time   
now. He decided to ask his cousin's best friend about the nature of   
Hyde's feelings.   
  
  
The Forman Basement......  
  
Francis: Hey Eric, can I talk to you about something?  
  
Eric: Uh, sure, what?  
  
Francis: It's about Jackie.  
  
Eric rolled his eyes, "God, you sound exactly like your cousin!"   
  
Francis: Look, are you going to help me or not?  
  
Eric: Fine, fine, fine. What do you want to know about Jackie?  
  
Francis: Well, it's more about Hyde's feelings towards her.   
Exactly how long had he liked Jackie?  
  
Eric: I personally think he liked her before Jackie and Kelso broke   
up the first time. But he'll never admit it.   
  
Francis: Believe me I know. He's exactly like my mom that way. He   
can't admit when he's wrong. But, how do we know that he really   
likes her? What evidence do we have to shove in his face?  
  
Eric: Let's see. He helped Jackie get over Kelso. He taught her to   
be cool when she found out that my whoring sister was dating Kelso.   
He punched one of her dates after he called her a bitch, and he got   
arrested for Jackie when she bought a bag of pot. Seems like a   
pretty strong resume too me.   
  
Francis: Thanks Eric. Now I know he likes her, we just have to get   
them together long enough to FORCE him to admit it. Where are my   
brothers? I have a plan.......  
  
  
  
Later at Bud Hyde's house.......   
  
Jackie is babysitting the three boys, because Bud was   
suddenly "needed" down at work. Malcom and Reese are in Bud's room,   
and Jackie is putting Dewey to bed in Hyde's room. The phone rings.  
  
Jackie: Hello, Hyde residence.  
  
Francis: Jackie it's me, is Dewey there?  
  
Jackie: Yeah, but I just put him to bed..  
  
Francis: Please, it is imperative that I speak to him!   
  
Jackie: (sighs irritably) all right, hold on a minute.  
  
She returns with Dewey in tow. He picks up the phone and   
speaks.   
  
Dewey: Hello?  
  
Francis: Dewey, thank God! Ok, I need you to pay attention to me.   
Listen very closely to what I say ok?   
  
Dewey: Ok.   
  
He listens intently and hangs the phone up.   
  
Dewey: Night Jackie.  
  
Jackie: Night sweetie.  
  
Dewey walks back to Hyde's room, and looks for the book Francis told   
him to find. He finally locates it and walks back to the living room.  
  
Jackie: Dewey, you're supposed to be in bed.   
  
Dewey: There was this book under my pillow though, and I opened it.   
I saw the pictures and figured it was yours.   
  
He shoves the book toward her. She immediately recognizes the   
yearbook from last year and sees her own face staring back at her.   
The pictures are hers all right, but the handwriting is someone   
else's entirely.   
  
Just then the front door opens and Hyde enters. He sees Dewey on   
Jack's lap. She is staring at his yearbook. He recognizes the page   
that she is looking at. Just then she raises her head and sees him.  
  
Jackie: Steven.....  
  
  



	10. Chapter 10

Part 10 by Bunny

Well, it was one of those great stories, that you can't put down at night.   
The hero knew what he had to do, and he wasn't afraid to fight. The villian   
goes to jail, and the hero goes free. I wish it were that simple for me.~   
  
"Bedtime, Dewey." he said gruffly.   
  
"But---"   
  
"GO."   
  
And, Dewey raced out of the room, as Hyde's tone left no room for argument.   
  
"He brought it here to me... I... Steven---"   
  
Hyde silenced her with a quirk of his brow.   
  
"Let's not go into it; no point." he said abrubtly.   
  
"Oh, no! You are NOT pulling this crap again, Steven Hyde!" she hollered.   
  
~And, the reason that she loved him, was the reason I loved him too. And, he   
never wondered what was right or wrong, he just knew--- he just knew.~   
  
"Hmmm... Hope Dewey was able to carry out his part of the plan..." Francis   
mused from the basement couch.   
  
"Tscha; just get the two of them talking and arguing... they'll be fine..."   
  
"Get WHO arguing?" Kitty asked, walking down with the laundry.   
  
"Uh, Jackie and Hyde, Mom."   
  
"Ohhh... yeah, they're so adorable together... They're just so darned   
stubborn." she laughed.   
  
Francis nodded, thinking of exactly WHERE that stubbornness stemmed from...   
  
~Shadows and shapes mixed together at dawn, but, by the time you catch them   
the simplicity's gone. And, so we sort through the pieces, my friends and I.   
Searching through the pieces to find the breaks in the sky.~   
  
"Dew, what's goin' on?" Malcolm asked curiously.   
  
"Jackie and Steven... Francis called, and said we were gonna help 'em get   
together..."   
  
"From in here?" Reece asked, confused.   
  
Dewey shook his head.   
  
"I did my part... Now we hafta wait..."   
  
"They're yelling, Dewey; they don't sound like Mr. and Miss happy couple to   
ME..."   
  
~And, the reason that she loved him, was the reason I loved him too. He   
never wondered what was right or wrong he just knew--- he just knew.~   
  
"Shhhh..." Reece said as the phone rang and he went to answer it.   
  
Dewey told Malcolm what Francis had told him to do.   
  
"Yeah, that actually sounds pretty good... they'd make a good couple; I like   
Jackie..." he nodded.   
  
Dewey nodded.   
  
"Yeah, she's pretty, and she tells good bedtime stories..."   
  
Malcolm smiled a bit.   
  
"An', I think Steven REALLY likes her... you can tell... he looks at her like   
Daddy looks at Mommy sometimes..."   
  
Malcolm quirked a brow at his little brother's surprising observation skills,   
and was about to comment when Reece came back and started throwing on clothes.   
  
"What are you doing?"   
  
"Shhh! I'm meeting Caroline..."   
  
"NOW?" Malcolm squeaked.   
  
"Shhh!" Reece admonished. "She said it was important... somethin's goin'   
on..."   
  
"Reece, you can't just---"   
  
"I'm going, and if you two tell on me, I'll tell Mom that those magazines she   
found of Francis' were YOURS..."   
  
"She won't buy that; Dewey's only SEVEN..."   
  
"OK, I'll pound you?"   
  
"Right, Reece, not gonna work..."   
  
"Fine..." he sighed. "Ten bucks?"   
  
"Each." Dewey said.   
  
Malcolm grinned at his baby brother; he was learning...   
  
~And, we wonder, yes we wonder, how do you make sense of this? When the hero   
kills the madien with his kiss--- with his kiss.~   
  
"What the hell are you TALKING about, Jackie?"   
  
"You know what I mean..." she huffed. "You... you... One minute, you're   
helping me or protecting me, and the next you're denying you feel ANYTHING   
for me... You can't keep yanking me around this way." she said with firm   
finality.   
  
"How do you feel about me? You tell me, and you tell me the TRUTH."   
  
"T-truth?" he stammered.   
  
"YES." she stated, coming to him closer. "I. Want. The. TRUTH." she said,   
taking off his glasses to look him in the eyes.   
  
"Truth..." he murmured, coming forward and closing the distance between them.   
  
He leant down and captured her mouth passionately...   
  
~Well, it was one of those great stories, that you can't put down at night.   
The hero knew what he had to do, and he wasn't afraid to fight. The villian   
goes to jail, and the hero goes free. I wish it were that simple for me--- if   
it were that simple for me...~


End file.
